PHILADELPHIA – The atmosphere in the locker room resembled that of a wake, with Washington Commanders minority owners Mark Ein and Mitchell Rales joining managing partner and owner Josh Harris and general manager Adam Peters to console players and staff post-game. Each offered either a few words of encouragement or a sympathetic look following the team’s 55-23 defeat against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC championship game on Sunday.

Wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who has witnessed the team’s transition from chaos under previous owner Dan Snyder to being a Super Bowl contender, stated, “We’ll be back. There’s no doubt about it.” However, McLaurin and everyone else, from the owners to the coaching staff and teammates, understands the need for improvements to compete at high-stakes events. Washington committed four turnovers and failed to create any turnovers, which contributed to their 32-point loss.

Next Gen Stats highlighted that the Eagles benefited significantly, with a 23.6% boost in win probability, owing to the three fumbles they recovered.

McLaurin acknowledged the Eagles’ abilities, saying, “They deserve credit for capitalizing on our mistakes. They played better than we did.”

A key part of the culture shift that head coach Dan Quinn introduced this season emphasizes the importance of ball security, as noted by McLaurin.

“We didn’t do a great job of taking care of the football today,” he mentioned, reflecting on Washington’s three fumbles. “And we didn’t force any turnovers.”

Additionally, two personal foul penalties just before halftime proved detrimental, allowing the Eagles to extend their lead from 14-12 to 27-12 within 65 seconds of game time.

After Jalen Hurts scored one of his three rushing touchdowns, Washington cornerback Marshon Lattimore, fresh off a previous altercation with Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans, grappled with Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown. As a result, Lattimore received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which allowed Philadelphia a chance at a two-point conversion (which they ultimately missed). The confrontation prompted players from both teams to come onto the field to defuse the situation.

In the locker room after the match, Lattimore expressed little interest in recounting the incident with Brown.

“It is what it is,” he commented, adding: “We need to keep our heads high. We gave it our all.”

Nonetheless, Washington’s issues deepened during the Eagles’ next possession. Jeremy McNichols fumbled the following kickoff, allowing the Eagles to recover the ball at the Washington 24-yard line. Though a holding penalty pushed Philadelphia back, Hurts managed to connect on a third-down pass to Saquon Barkley. Rookie cornerback Mike Sainristil aggressively tackled Barkley as he stepped out of play, resulting in another first down for the Eagles due to unnecessary roughness.

“It’s a split-second call the refs have to make in football, so they flagged me for unnecessary roughness,” Sainristil explained. “I simply need to be smarter in that situation – it was third down and we needed to get off the field.”

Just three plays later, Hurts rushed for another touchdown.

Linebacker Frankie Luvu remarked that while pre-snap penalties can be corrected, penalties occurring after the snap are inexcusable. Overall, Washington accrued nine penalties resulting in 47 yards lost.

“We can’t be our own worst enemies. We shot ourselves in the foot,” Luvu stated. “In crucial games like this, we must remain composed. We just fell short.”

Defensive lineman Jonathan Allen added, “In a game of this magnitude, everything counts – turnovers, our struggles to get off the line, and failing to stop the Eagles on third and fourth downs. The penalties were unfortunate, but it was ultimately our own doing.”

The first fumble for the Commanders occurred during their second drive when receiver Dyami Brown, attempting to gain extra yards, had the ball knocked away by Eagles linebacker Zack Baun, with cornerback Cooper DeJean assisting in holding him up. Just two minutes later, Barkley scored his second rushing touchdown, putting the Eagles ahead 14-3 with only seven plays run.

“I need to review the film on that, but turnovers are unacceptable,” center Tyler Biadasz stated.

Right tackle Andrew Wylie noted that the offense wasn’t completely “in sync,” with the turnovers proving costly.

“But that’s just part of the game,” he added.

Trailing by 11 points in the third quarter, quarterback Jayden Daniels connected with running back Austin Ekeler for a short completion. Although Ekeler went down during the catch, he stood up before being touched, but when Eagles linebacker Oren Burks approached, he knocked the ball out. Baun recovered, marking the Commanders’ third fumble of the game.

McLaurin emphasized that the Commanders were aware of how the Eagles capitalize on turnovers. “Giving the Eagles extra chances is never wise,” noted Daniels.

“Turnovers have a massive impact on a game,” Daniels said after throwing a late interception while attempting a comeback, “especially against a strong team like Philadelphia.”

During their seven-game winning streak that came to a halt on Sunday, the Commanders’ formula had been complementary football—where offense and defense supported one another. This balance was absent against Philadelphia, which Quinn attributed to Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s strategy focused on forcing turnovers.

“It’s essential to create turnovers as well,” head coach Dan Quinn pointed out. “Philadelphia deserves credit; they made it happen. These weren’t just careless mistakes—they were caused.”

“This was something we emphasized—winning the turnover battle in this match. For the past seven weeks, we’ve performed well in this regard. This was our first game where we faltered in that aspect.”

For the Commanders, it was a missed opportunity at the wrong moment.